First Gear

October 14, 2009

I am officially three weeks into Chris Jordan Daycare. This is some serious shit. By now my daughter has kicked my butt all over the house. She is kicking Mom’s butt when Mom gets home. We are 100% in survival mode. Let me tell you, it is amazing what a three month old can teach you about character. Not only is she building my character, but she is teaching me about life, business, balance, innocence… all of it. It is bad ass.

The biggest lesson she has taught me is that there is no such thing as multitasking. One of the biggest buzz words in business has been debunked by an infant. It doesn’t exist. A friend of mine, Kathy Drewien, recently responded to a “tweet” I made where I was venting about my daughter crying again. Here’s what she said… “Frustration comes from trying to do 2 things equally well. Focusing on her needs, not yours, will help.” Kathy, you hit a home run with that statement. Thank you. I believe that multitasking exists as much as the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny do (though I’ll make sure that Elise believes in both for a long time).

I think a better way of looking at balance is in terms of shifting gears. The faster you can shift, the better your car drives. I look at my daughter as first gear, work as second, hobbies third, and on and on. In the mornings, my daughter sleeps until around 10:30. Second gear. During that time, I start work and organize my day. Usually enough time for me to get in the middle of something. STOP. Time to change poo-diapers, feed, and play. The faster I change gears and drive in first, the smoother the ride. Two weeks ago, I would have tried to multitask, running around the house trying to work and satisfy her needs all at the same time. #fail.

Take the baby out of the equation and my theory remains the same. For example, you cannot be on a client call while checking emails. If you are, you aren’t making the most of whatever opportunity your phone call is presenting, and you’re really only getting half of your email message. So the point to all of this is that there is no such thing as multitasking. Don’t believe me? Just ask my daughter.